The Book of Lost Names

Rémy’s replacement is Geneviève, a woman from southeast of Aurignon who has been working extensively with forged documents there. Eva begrudgingly admits to herself that Geneviève is better than Rémy at catching discrepancies, yet she does not trust Geneviève enough to tell her about the Book of Lost Names. Months have passed since Rémy’s departure, and although Eva tries to convince herself that she should find “someone more appropriate, like Joseph” (227), her heart cannot leave Rémy behind.

Eva tries to reconnect with her mother, but Mamusia still treats her as a stranger who has forgotten both her family and faith, a direct insult to Eva’s relationship with Rémy. They go for a walk, but the tension is heavy: Mamusia believes that Madame Barbier and Père Clément do not value them, and she still plans for the day when Tatuś will return home. Eva reveals to her that Rémy has left and that she is trying to forget him, which gives Mamusia faith that Eva has not “forgotten who [she is], after all” (230).

The following day, Eva and Geneviève are working on documents in the library when Joseph suddenly enters.